Winemaker Tasting with Nicole Walsh of Ser

I had the pleasure of meeting winemaker Nicole Walsh of Ser at “Wines of Danger,” which showcases small-production wineries in California. The event's name draws attention to the fragility of success for independent small producers in the competitive California market. Nicole is based in Santa Cruz, and she makes beautiful wines that are true expressions of their varietals and the vineyards from which they are sourced. In fact, “Ser,” is Spanish for “to be” but also, more deeply, for expressing identity of origin.

On Wednesday, March 23rd, Nicole will be at Oakland Crush from 5:00-7:00 pouring four of her wines, including the new vintage of her Dry Orange Muscat (we sold out of the 2014 vintage in the first two weeks Oakland Crush was open), a Rosé of Nebbiolo, a gorgeous Pinot Noir from the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the just-released Cabernet Pfeffer (an extremely rare varietal with less than 12 acres grown in California, sourced from a dry farmed, old vine, organic vineyard in San Benito County). These wines are very limited-production—for example, only 90 cases of the Cabernet Pfeffer were made, and 125 cases of the Dry Muscat. Come meet Nicole and taste some of her fantastic wines before they sell out!